Return to Tokyo
by chilled monkey
Summary: Kaori travels back to the Death Stench-infested Tokyo to search for a survivor. OVA/Movie-verse.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the movie "Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack" or the manga on which it is based, "Gyo." This story is purely a work of fan-fiction. No profit is being made from it.

* * *

Kaori gazed at the picture of herself and Tadashi, now the only memento of him that she had left aside from the silver engagement ring on her left hand. She remembered how happy they had been at the time, how eagerly they had looked forwards to graduation and to getting married afterwards.

How had everything gone so wrong so fast? Just over forty-eight hours ago they had been talking happily on the phone, her in Okinawa where she and her friends Erika and Aki had gone on a holiday to celebrate their upcoming graduation, him at the radio station where he worked. In particular she recalled how he had mentioned that he would prefer their honeymoon to be somewhere away from the sea.

And then the walking fish invasion had occurred; countless sea creatures swarming up onto the land atop mechanical legs. With them they brought the Death Stench, a horrible disease that had soon spread to humans, causing their bodies to bloat and swell with foul-smelling gas. Soon after that they were taken over by the same strange walking machines that had first carried the fish.

Kaori had immediately returned to Tokyo to look for Tadashi when his phone call was cut off but she had been too late. By the time she had found him he had been infected. Not only that but his own uncle, Professor Koyanagi, had used him as a test subject to create his own walking machine. Soon afterwards Tadashi had died, torn apart by the other human walkers.

She recalled how his final act had been to reach out for her. She had tried desperately to reach him and take his hand but had been unable to. Her only consolation was that in his last moments he had recognised her and known that she loved him despite what he had become.

She spared a thought for Shirakawa, the cameraman she had befriended en route to Tokyo. Even though he had initially helped her for self-serving reasons she was deeply grateful for all that he had done, especially reassuring her that Tadashi had acted of his own will in reaching for her. "I think what you believed was the truth" he had said. He also had succumbed to the infection, as had Erika and Aki. Only Kaori herself had proven immune to the disease.

Eventually she had taken a life raft to a ship the few survivors had managed to reach. Soon after she had arrived she had been given a room for her private use. It was sparsely furnished but at least had a bed and desk with a comfortable chair. She was currently sitting in that chair as she stared at the picture, thinking of happier times.

After a while she sighed, carefully put the picture back in her pocket and stood up. As important as it was to keep Tadashi's memory alive she knew that she couldn't spend the rest of her days just dwelling on the past. Perhaps a walk around the ship would help clear her head.

Just then she heard someone knocking on her door. Concerned, she went to answer.

She opened the door to see a woman her own age with shoulder-length black hair. She hadn't talked to many of the other survivors but she did know this woman. Her name was Chihiro and she was the captain's daughter.

"What's wrong Chihiro-san?"

"Come quick Kaori-san! There's something on the radio!"

* * *

They hurried to the bridge. Along the way several other survivors joined them. Finally the small group of people arrived at the bridge to find the captain operating a radio. He looked at them in surprise.

"What? Chihiro-chan, you can't bring people onto the bridge!"

"With all due respect father these people have a right to know what's going on" she replied.

He sighed. "Yes, you are right. Just a few moments ago we received a transmission from Tokyo. This is that transmission."

He pressed a button and a voice issued from the speaker.

"Hello, hello. Can anyone hear me? Is there anybody out there? Someone please help me! They're after me! No, oh no, they're here! Someone please…"

There was a sharp hiss of static and the message ended.

The captain said "Whoever this person is we can't afford to wait long for them. Given our limited food and fuel the odds of being able to reach somewhere safe grow worse each day."

"Is there anywhere safe?" asked one man. "I heard that all attempts to contact other countries had no response."

"That is correct" the captain replied.

"Then for all we know we could be all that's left of the human race."

"But we can't just sit here and wait to starve to death" said a woman.

Everyone started talking at once, their voices blending into an incomprehensible jumble. Only Kaori did not speak. She noticed how quickly the topic had moved away from whoever had sent the call for help. That poor person, afraid and probably alone, had seemingly been forgotten.

She moved back slightly and clapped her hands together as loud as she could. Everyone fell silent and turned to look at her.

"Why don't we go and look for the person who sent the call?" she asked the captain.

He shook his head. "We can't risk exposing anyone to those things." Several people murmured in agreement.

"I'll go" she said firmly, drawing gasps of astonishment from the crowd.

 _I lost Tadashi and my friends because of this disease_ she thought. _If there's any chance that I can save even one person from what happened to them, then I must try._


	2. Chapter 2

In her quarters Kaori examined the items arranged on the desk before her. Amongst other things there was a basic first aid kit, a survival knife, a map and some waterproof matches.

Satisfied that everything was in perfect condition she began packing a bag one of the survivors had let her borrow. She was uncomfortably reminded of packing a bag when she'd been preparing to leave Okinawa to find Tadashi. With difficulty she pushed the thought away.

She stopped as she heard a knock at her door. Opening it she was surprised to see the captain standing in the doorway, looking left and right furtively. He was holding a small briefcase.

"May I come in Kaori-san?"

"Of course."

He entered and quickly closed the door behind him before turning to her. "Kaori-san, I admire your bravery in going to look for this man" he said.

"Thank you."

"I can tell you can't be talked out of it so if you must go then you ought to take this with you."

He opened the briefcase and reached in. Her eyes widened as he took out a pistol.

"Don't worry the safety catch is on. It won't go off accidentally." He held the weapon out to her expectantly.

She shook her head.

"Kaori-san, the city must be overrun with those things. You must take this."

"No" she replied firmly. "I appreciate your concern captain but those "things" as you call them are people. I won't shoot them. Besides I never saw any of them hurt anyone deliberately except when provoked."

 _Except for Tadashi_ she thought with a stab of hurt as she recalled the human walkers swarming over him. Again she pushed the thought away.

The captain sighed. "As you wish." He managed a slight smile as he added "Chihiro asked me to wish you good luck. She wanted to see you off but she didn't seem well so I told her to get some rest."

Kaori smiled and nodded. "Tell her I'm very grateful and don't worry. I'll come back soon."

"I will."

* * *

As the life raft sped across the ocean surface Kaori resisted the temptation to look back at the ship. Although the captain had promised they wouldn't leave until she returned she was still haunted by the prospect of getting back to find that the ship had gone. Looking back would only undermine her resolve.

Instead she looked up at the sky. Just like when she had first arrived it was full of swirling patterns formed by the gas. She might even have found the sight pretty if not for what it meant. The Death Stench itself was of course stronger out here but as she had told the captain she was used to it. There were also columns of black smoke rising into the sky from the city, making her wonder what she might encounter.

The short trip occurred without incident and Kaori soon brought the life raft to a halt by the rocky shore where she had last seen Shirakawa. There was no sign of him of course. She sadly realised that by now he would have turned and been carried off on one of the walking machines.

After taking a moment to pray for Tadashi, Erika, Aki and Shirakawa, she carefully brought the raft ashore and hid it behind a pile of rocks. She then climbed the steps up to the pavement and made her way over to the land rover that they had driven there. Sure enough it was unlocked and the keys were still in the ignition. Yet she did not drive off. Instead she merely got inside and sat in the driver's seat for a long moment.

"I'm sorry Tadashi" she said softly as she gazed at her ring. "I know you wouldn't have wanted me to come back here." Her lips curled in a small smile. "In fact you asked me not to come back to Tokyo the first time. Please understand I can't ignore this person's call for help, even if they are a stranger. I can't stand back and let what happened to you happen to another innocent person if there's anything I can do to help them. You understand, don't you Tadashi?"

At that moment, as she closed her eyes she was certain that she could feel Tadashi's presence in the land rover with her as surely as if he was sitting in the adjacent seat. For a few indescribably precious seconds she could swear she felt his hand gently placed over hers, offering the reassurance and encouragement she so badly needed.

"Thank you Tadashi" Kaori said warmly, feeling as if a weight had lifted from her shoulders. She started the engine and drove across the bridge, heading for the city centre.

 _Hold on whoever you are_ she thought. _Help is coming._

* * *

The city centre was exactly as it had been when she had left. An empty wasteland with no signs of life. Even the walkers were gone, thankfully. That wasn't surprising; she recalled how she and Shirakawa had seen them heading somewhere in a massive crowd. There were no people either. The only evidence they had ever been here were numerous shop windows that had been smashed by looters and lines of empty cars, many of them damaged from crashes.

The grim bleakness was mind-numbing but Kaori resisted letting her thoughts go blank and concentrated on staying focused. Despite that she missed something and a few seconds later…

BANG!

She yelped in surprise at the sudden noise and the jolt that accompanied it. Immediately she drove her foot down on the brake and the land rover came to a halt. She opened the door and got out to see what had happened. Sure enough a tire had burst. A few feet away was the cause, one of the small walking machines that had originally brought the fish ashore. The sharp tips of its legs and metal ribs had sliced the tire up.

Kaori shuddered as she recalled accidentally stepping on one of the machines. The metal ribs had instantly locked tight around her foot, forcing her to discard her sneaker to get rid of it.

Taking care to keep a safe distance from the machine she examined the land rover. The tire was completely gone; there was no way she could drive on it and there was no spare. She would have to walk until she found a replacement vehicle.

With a sigh she took out her bag and walked away.

* * *

At first she encountered no further problems as she made her way through the city, keeping an eye open for any more of the smaller machines. After a while though Kaori began to get an uncomfortable sense that she was being watched. She looked around carefully but couldn't see anything.

Then she heard it; a hissing sound, a high squeaking and a faint scratching, like metal on pavement. She spun around to see a pack of creatures come scurrying out from underneath nearby parked cars. She gasped at the sight.

The mutants before her were neither fish nor human. They were dogs. Over a dozen of them, various breeds, all bloated from the gas and held in place atop the walking machines by metal ribs while the familiar purple tubes were inserted into the poor animals orifices. She took a step back as all of them looked right at her and uttered muffled growls.

 _They're like the sharks. They still have their hunting instincts_ she thought.

Kaori turned and sprinted away as the dog walkers charged her, the tips of their metal legs screeching against the ground. She raced down the street, dodging around abandoned walkers. Putting her foot on one of those now would be fatal.

Her sneaker-clad feet pounded the pavement as she ran, fighting the urge to look back. Although she was able to maintain a distance she knew that the dog walkers mechanical legs would not tire while she would. Eventually they would catch up. She had to lose them.

She dashed down an alley, the dog walkers right behind her. Up ahead she spotted a wire fence. Kaori ran up to the fence and jumped. Her fingers caught hold of the rail and she swung herself over it, landing in a smooth crouch on the other side.

Jumping to her feet she immediately backed away as the dog walkers slammed into the fence. Thankfully it held. The ones at the front tried to climb it but to her relief the tips of their legs got caught in the wire, leaving them held in place. They barked furiously and tugged at the wire but they remained stuck. The other ones also barked in frustration.

Concerned that the sound might draw more, but unwilling to take her eyes off the creatures, Kaori backed up until she made it to the other end of the alley. After a quick glance to check that she was alone she hurried away.

* * *

A little while later, once she was certain she'd gotten far enough away from the dog walkers, she took a seat on a bench to regain her bearings.

"That was too close" she mused.

Just as she was about to take a map of the city out of her bag another sound reached her ears, this one less threatening perhaps but no more welcome, the sound of circus music.

She frowned darkly as she recalled hearing the same music while she was looking for Tadashi. She remembered how she had followed it to find a Big Top. Inside she had found Death Stench-infected people being used as exhibits. Worse, Tadashi had been captured and put on display as if he were a freak or an animal. Kaori's fist clenched at the thought.

Her first impulse was to stay as far away as possible. She stood up to leave but then stopped. Someone at the circus might know something about the person who had sent the call. As much as she hated the thought of going anywhere near that awful place she couldn't ignore something that might help find the person she'd come to help.

 _Tadashi would understand_ she thought as she looked at her ring. She started walking in the direction the music was coming from.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Thank you very much to Traitor of All Traitors for adding this story to their Favourites list and for their reviews. I hope you like this chapter.

* * *

Just a few moments later she found the green and yellow striped Big Top set up in the middle of the road. She closed her eyes briefly, taking a moment to prepare herself, and then walked towards the main entrance.

As she approached it she heard something else besides the music. It sounded like muffled grunts and whimpers.

Very concerned now, Kaori warily entered the Big Top. She froze and stared in dismay at what was inside.

The infected musicians were on the same elevated stand she'd seen them on before, playing their instruments while swaying from side to side. She barely noticed them though as her focus was on what was happening in the middle of the tent.

On the raised circular platform stood a sinister grey-haired figure dressed in a black suit with a matching top hat and white gloves. She recognised him as the Ringmaster. With him were three men wearing leotards and a fourth dressed as a clown. The circus people stood in a rough circle around another man who was lying on the floor, tied up and gagged.

She quickly hid in the stands and peered out cautiously.

The Ringmaster was speaking. "I am not usually one to judge. I am merely an entertainer, albeit one in charge of the Greatest Show on Earth. In this case however I must pass judgement upon you doctor. You who sought to destroy this magnificent creature when as a scientist you should be dedicated to acquiring knowledge."

The prisoner grunted into his gag and squirmed against his bonds in a futile attempt to get free.

"We of the Grand Citrus Circus understand the true nature of the gas. We know that it is no mere chemical compound. It is a living being with a mind of its own! An entirely different form of life and one that is far superior to humanity."

"He's insane" Kaori whispered. She knew that the gas was alive, she had seen it moving like a living creature and even coalescing into tendrils to seize infected people and add them to the piles of bodies carried by giant versions of the walking machines. But to describe it as "superior" to people…

"And now you must pay for your actions" the Ringmaster continued. He turned to his followers. "Get him up."

Two of the circus performers seized the man and yanked him to his feet while a heavily muscled Strongman brought over a large barbell and another length of rope. They tied his ankles to the barbell as he struggled desperately.

"Bring it out!"

She watched in dismay as they wheeled out a huge cannon. Behind it was a trolley loaded with a stack of oil drums. Each drum had a tube connecting it to the back of the cannon. Upon seeing it the prisoner whimpered in fear and shook his head frantically.

"This is the Citrus Circus Colossal Cannon" the Ringmaster explained. "Those drums are filled with infected humans. Even now the gas pressure is building, ready to blast you with a cannonball. It seems only fitting that the instrument of your demise be powered by the very thing you wanted destroyed."

"I have to stop this" Kaori whispered.

She glanced to her right as a desperate plan took form. She took out the matches she'd brought, struck one and held the flame to the entrance curtains. She noticed a blue mist form around the flame as the Death Stench gas reacted to it, but she ignored it. The flame was too small and the concentration of ambient gas too low for a stronger reaction.

Within seconds the curtains caught fire and black smoke started to billow out. The blue mist formed again around the flames. Had Kaori not ducked back behind the stands she would have seen ghastly faces starting to materialise in the mist.

The Ringmaster heard the crackling of the flames and his head snapped around to look at the fire. He yelled, "put that out before the entire Big Top goes up you idiots!"

His minions dashed over to the blazing curtains. Their leader followed them, apparently not trusting them to cope without his supervision.

While they were preoccupied Kaori ran past the front row of seats, vaulted over the railing and rushed over to the prisoner, survival knife in hand.

"Hold on" she said as she began cutting through his bonds.

The Ringmaster turned and saw what was going on. "Stop her!" he yelled just as she finished freeing the prisoner.

"Run!" Kaori exclaimed.

They raced for the exit at the back of the tent, the same one she and Shirakawa had gone through in pursuit of Tadashi. The minions started to follow them but then the Ringmaster noticed something.

"Stop you fools! The gas has reached critical pressure! Fire the cannon before it explodes!"

As his underlings scrambled to obey his orders he realised that the fire still hadn't been put out and was starting to spread. Fury overcame him and he let out a scream of rage.

* * *

Kaori and the man she'd saved ran through the exit and kept on running even as they heard a loud BOOM behind them. Their only concern was to get as far from the circus as possible. Finally after several minutes the man started panting and gasping.

"I can't go on, I need to rest" he wheezed.

"Okay I think we've lost them" she replied.

They stopped running and he leaned against a wall as he recovered, taking in deep breaths of foul-smelling air. He was in his early forties, with short brown hair and pale blue eyes.

When he'd regained his breath he turned to her. "Thank you for saving my life."

"It was nothing" she replied with a smile. "I'm Kaori."

"I am Dr. Toriyama."

As she listened to his voice Kaori thought it sounded familiar. She tried to think where she had heard it before.

Then she remembered. At the time it had been tinny and slightly distorted but still recognisable.

"Wait, did you send a distress call?"

"I did. Those insane circus people were after me."

She had found him! Kaori's delighted smile became a curious look as she remembered what she had overheard.

"The Ringmaster said you were trying to destroy the gas. Is that true?"

"Indeed. When the walking fish first appeared I was one of a number of scientists looking into the problem. I tried to contact Professor Koyanagi to see if he would assist me but he didn't answer any of my calls."

She frowned at the mention of Koyanagi but said nothing.

Toriyama went on, "When the disease began infecting humans I started analysing the gas to try and develop a way to neutralise it. A little while ago I came across a file on-line that told how the military created the disease during World War II."

She knew the file he was talking about. She and Shirakawa had found it on Koyanagi's computer. _Shirakawa-san must have uploaded the file while I was looking for Tadashi_ she thought.

"That file helped point me in the right direction. I was on my way to get some materials I needed when the circus people started chasing me. I tried to hide but it was no good. I barely managed to get that call off before they caught me. That Ringmaster is completely mad. He seems to almost worship this foul gas so in his mind I was evil for seeking to get rid of it."

"Did you find it?" she asked. "Did you find a way to cure everyone?" It seemed too good to be true but if there was even the smallest chance that it could be done…

He sighed. "Alas I was close but I'm missing one critical element. To complete the agent I need someone with an immunity to the disease. So far I've been unable to find anyone who…"

"I'm immune" she exclaimed.

"What?"

She pointed to the scar on her left upper arm. "One of the walking machines scratched me but I wasn't affected."

He peered at the scar in fascination. "Amazing. No boils, no discolouring, not even a hint of mutation."

"Exactly!"

His eyes lit up. "Then my dear, you are the key. Quickly, we must get back to my lab. There's not a moment to lose!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The Citrus Circus Colossal Cannon is from the Gyo manga. While I much prefer the anime movie I thought it was an interesting idea so I 'borrowed' it.

Dr. Toriyama is (as many people will have guessed) named after Akira Toriyama, creator of "Dragon Ball." I am very bad at coming up with names.


	4. Chapter 4

**Traitor of All Traitors:** I really appreciate your reviews. Thanks also for the advice. I'll remember that.

A light has appeared but they aren't out of the tunnel yet.

* * *

Thankfully the lab was much different to that of Koyanagi. Whereas that lab had been a picture of sterile functionality this one was cluttered with various pieces of equipment and components. Notebooks, textbooks and tools were everywhere. Kaori was glad of that. She did not want to be reminded of what had happened at the place.

"I'm sorry for the mess" said Toriyama as they entered.

"It's okay" she assured him. "Will the equipment still work?"

"The power is off but the lab has its own back-up generator" he replied. "It should last long enough."

She helped him get all of the necessary computers and machinery operational. Once everything was ready he took out a syringe.

"I need a sample of your blood to isolate the antibodies that give you immunity" he said apologetically.

She nodded. "I understand."

"Don't worry, I've done this plenty of times before. I know what I'm doing."

"I believe you Toriyama-san."

She sat on a nearby stool as he applied a tourniquet to her arm. Toriyama clearly had done this before as she barely felt a thing when the needle pierced her flesh. With practised efficiency he collected the blood sample, removed the tourniquet and put a plaster on her arm.

She smiled. "That didn't hurt at all. Thank you Toriyama-san."

"No need to thank me" he replied.

Over the next few hours he worked at isolating the antibodies in her blood. Kaori had often assisted at the lab during her college studies, giving her a basic understanding of the machinery he was using, and she used that to help in any way she could.

Finally he held up a phial of blue liquid. "Here it is."

Her eyes lit up. "That's wonderful!"

"If it works" he replied doubtfully.

"I believe it will" she said firmly. "Just like I believed I'd find you and you must have believed there was a point in sending that distress call."

His expression lightened. "You're right. Please wait here a moment."

He went into another part of the laboratory and returned pushing a trolley. On it was a wire cage and inside that was a rabbit, swollen and bloated with Death Stench gas. It lay still, alive but completely unresponsive.

"That poor thing" she said sympathetically as she looked at it sadly.

"I know." He filled another syringe with some of the antiserum and carefully injected it into the rabbit. They watched it with baited breath.

After just a few seconds the rabbit shrank down to its normal size, the bloating seeming to melt away. It stood up, raised it's ears and looked around, nose twitching.

"It works!" Toriyama exclaimed.

Kaori laughed in delight. "You did it Toriyama-san!"

"No, we did it" he replied. "This couldn't have been done without you Kaori-san, and I don't just mean your immunity. Your help in preparing the antiserum was invaluable."

"Thank you."

A sobering thought occurred to her. "Wait, how are we going to inject it into everyone who's been infected?"

"Ah but we won't need to" he replied. "I designed the agent to eliminate not only the pathogen but the gas itself as well. Once released into the atmosphere it will react to and neutralise the gas. The infected just need to inhale it."

"Really?"

"Yes." His excited look dimmed. "However we still need a way to distribute the agent. Explosives would be ideal but how would we get hold of those?"

A memory came to her unbidden. One of her most precious memories in fact. She thought about the last Tanabata festival she and Tadashi had gone to, in particular how they had held each other close as they watched the fireworks light up the night sky with dazzling bursts of beautiful colours.

"What about fireworks?" she suggested.

"Yes, yes, fireworks would be perfect" he replied, his excitement returning.

"Then let's go" she said eagerly.

* * *

The captain frowned as he peered through his binoculars at the shore. There was still no sign of Kaori.

He told himself not to worry. After all she hadn't even been gone a day yet. Even so he was deeply troubled. He felt responsible for all of the people on his ship, the people that had sought a safe haven away from the horrifying pestilence that had swept through the city. While he understood wanting to help whoever had sent that distress call he'd have felt much better if she had stayed aboard.

There was also the matter of how long they could afford to wait for her. Although the number of people aboard was small their food supplies were limited. They would have to leave eventually. On the other hand even if she did return, where would they go? He had no idea where on Earth hadn't already been contaminated by the Death Stench.

 _And even if we could find such a place, how long before the disease reaches it as well? No matter how you look at it this seems to be the end of humanity_ he thought miserably.

The only silver lining was that at least he hadn't seen any walkers. That was good. Despite Kaori's assurances that she'd never seen any of them attack a human unprovoked the thought of being in a city filled with the diseased creatures terrified him. He wished she had taken the gun he'd offered and couldn't understand why she hadn't. As far as he was concerned they were no longer human.

He lowered his binoculars and was about to go below decks when he spotted something. Wanting a better look he raised the binoculars again and his eyes bulged as he saw an army of walkers marching towards Tokyo. The sight of the creatures was sickening, with their gas-swollen bodies, bumpy green skin and purple tubes inserted into their mouths and anuses. Their sheer numbers made it worse. It was like staring at a sea of rusty metal legs and sickly, infected flesh.

Then the creatures came to an abrupt halt. He watched in astonishment as they merely stood still as if they'd turned to stone.

 _Why are they just standing there? A second ago they were heading right for the city._

His astounded expression grew as he saw the air above the creatures seem to ripple, similar to the patterns in the sky. However unlike the random swirls these seemed far more regular and focused.

 _But, but that's impossible! Gas can't move like that!_

The concentrated cloud of gas floated above the creatures, visible as a rippling haze, then moved. It flew directly towards the city and soon disappeared from his sight. The walkers remained where they were.

The captain slowly lowered his binoculars and wandered below decks as if in a daze, trying and failing to comprehend what he had just seen. The only thing he was sure of was that whatever had just happened it was not good.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I realise that producing an antiserum for a disease is a lot more complicated and takes far longer than portrayed here. Call it artistic license (if "Outbreak" can get away with it then so can I).


	5. Chapter 5

**Traitor of All Traitors: Thanks for your reviews. I really appreciate them. Will your hopes be realised? Keep reading to find out.**

* * *

Unaware of what was happening Kaori and Toriyama had left the laboratory and gone into the city centre to look for a store that sold fireworks. The entire time they had been careful to stay hidden as much as possible and keep their eyes open for the Citrus Circus but so far they had seen no sign of them. Before long they had found what they sought.

"Oh yes these will be just fine" said Toriyama as he examined the fireworks they had gathered next to some containers of the antidote. "All we have to do is launch these and when they explode the neutralising agent will be distributed through the atmosphere. First Tokyo, then Japan and then the world!"

Kaori could barely believe it. She had come back to the city in hopes of saving one person. Now they were on the brink of saving the entire world from this hideous disease.

Just then she heard a low groaning sound. She glanced over at Toriyama. From his expression he had heard it as well.

"What's that?"

"Probably just the wind" he replied although he looked unsure.

"But there isn't any wind" she pointed out. It was true, there wasn't the slightest breeze.

The groaning sound grew louder. They looked around, trying to determine where it was coming from.

"Over there" said Kaori. She pointed to a swirling haze, visible in the miasma of the Death Stench, that was flying towards them.

As they watched the haze began to grow, drawing in the ambient gas from around it. At the same time it became more clearly defined, as if the gas was condensing.

 _Just like before_ Kaori thought as she remembered when she had seen this happen before. This however was different. Something more.

Within seconds the haze had formed into a thirty two foot tall creature, transparent as glass but defined enough to make out features. Its 'body' was a bloated lump with neither arms nor legs. Instead there was a mass of squirming tentacles on either side where a human would have arms. Its head was little more than a raised lump that merged directly into the main form without a neck. Within the roiling cloud of gas they could make out the outline of a pair of bulging eyes and a wide mouth filled with fangs.

The creature peered down at them, opened its jaws and somehow, despite having no lungs or any kind of physical vocal structure, _roared._ The sound was hideous, a high unearthly call unlike anything they'd heard before.

Kaori's hands balled into fists as fear gave way to cold fury. She realised that the creature before her was nothing less than the embodiment of the Death Stench itself. _This is the thing that took Tadashi from me_ she thought angrily.

"Toriyama-san, launch the fireworks!"

He did not reply, merely stood and stared up in terror at the Death Stench beast. She gripped his shoulders and shook him. "Toriyama-san!"

It was too late. Tentacles of miasma flew through the air straight towards them!

Kaori dodged out of the way but Toriyama was still too scared to move. The tentacles coiled tightly around him and yanked him up into the air.

She resisted the impulse to charge and attack the creature. Instead she snatched up one of the fireworks and a phial of antidote, and dashed back inside the store. Tentacles shot after her, writhing like worms.

She ran as fast as she could but was hampered by the need to maneuver around displays and through the aisles. The tentacles simply moved through the air, above any obstacles.

There! Right in front of her were the stairs.

Just as she was about to reach them a tentacle wrapped around her ankle. She cried out as she lost her footing and fell to the floor, dropping the firework and phial. It began to drag her back across the floor as its fellows swooped down towards her.

* * *

Meanwhile aboard the ship, the captain was knocking on the door to Chihiro's quarters.

He called, "Chihiro-chan, are you feeling any better?"

There was no reply. He hesitated, not wanting to disturb her privacy but wanting to make sure she was all right. As he was trying to decide he heard an odd sound, like something heavy being dragged across the floor. Curious, he followed the sound and soon caught up with it. He turned a corner…

And froze in horror.

Several metres away was his nightmare. A Death Stench-infected human, swollen with stinking gas and with green, bumpy skin. There was no walking machine fortunately. The thing was instead dragging its bulk across the floor with its arms.

As his wits cleared he realised that it was heading for the deck and was nearly there, no doubt going to meet up with a walking machine. He was about to run to his cabin to get his pistol when he saw its face.

 _No, no it can't be._ He forced himself to say, "Ch, Chihiro-chan?"

She turned to look over her shoulder. "Father, I'm sorry you had to see this" she said, her voice oddly distorted.

 _Kami-sama I was going to shoot her. I was going to kill my own child_ he thought in dismay. He realised now how wrong he had been in how he had viewed the sick people.

"On my way to the ship one of the walking fish scratched me. It was just a graze, didn't even draw blood. When nothing happened I thought I'd gotten lucky, but it just meant it took longer" she explained. She resumed dragging herself across the floor. "I know it's your duty to keep the people on this ship safe father. It's mine too. I'm a danger to everyone here, so I'm going to throw myself overboard."

"No! Chihiro, you mustn't!"

He ran over, put his arms around her and tried desperately to pull her back but she was too heavy.

"It's okay father. It's for the best" she said as she continued to move towards the deck.

"No! We can find another way!" He increased his efforts to stop her but it made no difference.


	6. Chapter 6

As the Death Stench tentacle dragged her across the floor Kaori managed to snag an item from the shelves, specifically a hand-held battery-operated electric fan. As this was a display model it already contained batteries.

She hurriedly twisted around and sat up as she switched on the fan and aimed it at the tentacle that held her ankle. It disappeared as the wind blew away the miasma. She raised the fan in time to disperse the other tentacles.

From outside she heard the Death Stench beast roar again. Before it could send more tentacles after her she scrambled to her feet, picked up the firework and phial, and rushed upstairs. It took only a moment for her to reach the rooftop door.

Kaori pushed open the door and ran out onto the roof. She hurried over to the edge and peered down. She sighed in relief as she saw that Toriyama was alive. He had finally come to his senses and was struggling furiously but uselessly against the tentacles that held him. The creature was observing him with what seemed like amusement.

She heard a whooshing sound from behind her and turned to see what looked like a winged version of the machine Koyanagi had made fly past the roof. Had Shirakawa been present he would have recognised the machine, and the infected man strapped to it as Koyanagi, the scientist having zoomed past him on that very machine after he had said his goodbyes to Kaori.

As it was, the machine and its "pilot" flew away and disappeared before she could get a closer look at it but before it did so someone jumped off and stood up to face her.

That 'someone' was the Citrus Circus Ringmaster.

"I know you" he said. "My main attraction ran away as soon as it saw you. Why was that I wonder?"

She glared at him. "His name was Tadashi and he was my fiancé! You had no right to treat him that way!"

"Well it is of no consequence now" he replied. "What matters is you want to destroy the gas and I cannot allow that."

"Why not? We're trying to help the sick people be well again."

"Sick people? Have you still not learned? I'll tell you like I told the scientist. The gas is a living being. One that will be around after all the humans and animals are gone for it is a superior life form to anything else on this world."

"If you truly believe this disease is superior to human beings then I pity you." said Kaori firmly. "What does this creature know of love or kindness? What does it know of being in love with someone with all your heart? I'll tell you. It knows NOTHING because it has no heart! Even animals feel and care about each other. This gas is not superior, it's inferior!"

"Enough! I'll hear no more of this!" With that he pulled out a switchblade, extended it with a _click_ and charged right at her!

Kaori jumped out of the way and the Ringmaster ran past her. Before he could stop himself he went over the edge of the roof. She tried to catch his ankle but was too late and he fell with a terrified scream. She managed to get back just in time to avoid seeing him hit the ground.

Willing herself not to think about what had just happened she took out some electrical wire she'd borrowed from the lab and secured the phial to the firework. She then aimed it up at the sky, lit the fuse and hastily backed away.

 _Please let this work_ she thought as the fuse burned away.

The firework flew up into the gas-filled sky with a high-pitched whistle and exploded high overhead in a burst of red and yellow lights. For several tense seconds nothing happened. Then a light shower of blue-tinted rain began to fall.

As if by magic the putrid fumes of the Death Stench gas disappeared, leaving the air clear and untainted once more. Just like that the horrible odour that had defiled the city was completely gone. The air even seemed to grow lighter as the oppressive, smothering pall was lifted.

The Death Stench beast uttered a chilling wail as it melted away, the sickening miasma that formed it being destroyed on a molecular level. Then it disappeared entirely, a fading wail the only trace it had ever been there.

Toriyama hit the ground, the impact leaving him bruised but otherwise unhurt. He got to his feet, looked up at Kaori with a huge grin and gave a thumb's up. She returned the gesture with an overjoyed smile.

 _It worked!_ Kaori thought giddily as she inhaled deeply. It felt wonderful to again be able to breath air that didn't stink of rotting flesh. She couldn't wait to tell everyone else aboard the ship!

* * *

The captain didn't even notice the rain at first, so focused was he on pleading with Chihiro not to throw herself overboard while struggling fruitlessly to stop her as she made it to the deck. When she stopped moving he let go and moved back, ready to pounce again if she started for the deck railings but she stayed still. Only then did he notice the bluish rain.

Before his eyes Chihiro shrank down to her regular size. The bumps and green discolouration disappeared from her skin. Within seconds she was fully returned to normal.

"Ch, Chihiro-chan?" he said haltingly, barely able to believe what he had just seen. Coming to his senses he hurriedly pulled off his coat and put it around her.

"Father, am, am I okay?" she asked unsurely as she got up.

"Yes my child, you're all right" he replied, tears tricking down his cheeks. Father and daughter hugged each other in joy and relief.

Had either of them looked towards the shore they would have seen the army of human walkers slump on top of the machines, tubes falling away from their bodies as they also were cured. The machines themselves remained still, no longer infectious and unable to move without the gas to power them.

* * *

Koyanagi also found himself caught in the rain. He fell like a stone as his flying machine sputtered and died, finally crashing to earth and leaving nothing but twisted wreckage.

When his remains were finally found only Kaori realised what they were but she said nothing. Despite what he had done she knew that Tadashi would not want his uncle's memory to be dragged through the mud.

* * *

The next few weeks were incredibly busy but the feeling of overpowering joy and relief at being free of the Death Stench kept everyone's spirits high.

Kaori returned to the ship to be greeted by a heroine's welcome. Chihiro and her father in particular had thanked her profusely. While flattered she explained that there was no time to celebrate yet. A lot of people needed help.

The ship came ashore and the survivors quickly gathered up the newly-cured people, "borrowing" clothes for them from deserted stores and getting them to hospitals. At first the people were comatose but before long they began awakening.

The Citrus Circus Big Top was found abandoned, the members having fled into hiding without the Ringmaster to direct them. The people they had used as attractions, including those used to power the Colossal Cannon, were all cured and rescued.

Sadly not everyone was recovered. Erika and Aki had died before being reanimated by the gas. Once it was neutralised they returned to being lifeless. Kaori was saddened by this but took comfort in the fact that at least they could now rest in peace.

Shirakawa by contrast was restored to full health. Kaori visited him as often as she could and when he woke up she hugged him happily.

"Thank you so much Kaori-san" he said as he returned the hug. "You truly are a remarkable person."

"It wasn't only me" she replied. "I'll tell you the whole story later."

"I'll be happy to hear it."

* * *

As more people awoke things began to return to normal. Electricity and running water were quickly restored to the city and families were reunited. Pilots took to the skies with canisters filled with the neutralising agent that they distributed throughout Japan. Once that was done teams of volunteers moved in to help the cured people recover and begin the process of restoring order.

Once Japan had been fully cleansed of the gas they turned their attention to the rest of the world. It was a monumental task but was made easier by the fact that their numbers only grew as time went by. Bit by bit humanity reclaimed Earth from the vile pestilence that had threatened to engulf it until finally every last trace of the Death Stench had been erased.

As the world returned fully to normal Kaori was content to remain anonymous, with only a few people knowing the full extent of her role in saving Earth. Toriyama, Shirakawa, Chihiro and the captain urged her to accept the acknowledgement she deserved but she declined, not wanting to be a public figure. They respected her wishes but assured her that they would never forget what she had done.

* * *

Months later Kaori stood before a beautifully carved family grave. In her hand was a bouquet of sweet-smelling flowers. She gazed tenderly at the most recent name added to the monument.

Tadashi's body had been torn apart by the walkers so completely that no remains could be recovered but she had obtained permission to bury the scrapped chassis of the walker he had died on. It was better than nothing.

She took a moment to look around. The sun shone down from a bright blue sky, no longer obscured by patterns of gas. The air was fresh and clear, without even a hint of noxious fumes. From nearby came the sound of birds singing.

Finally she spoke. "I wish you could see this. Since we got rid of that awful gas everything seems so much more vibrant. It's almost like the Earth wants to remind us that this is a world of life, not of decay."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you Tadashi" she said softly. "I know you wouldn't want me to feel that way but I can't help it." Her lips curled into a small smile. "Don't worry, I won't spend the rest of my life filled with sadness and guilt because I know you wouldn't want that either. I'll honour you by living and by making the most of each day until I can be with you again in Heaven."

As she knelt to place the flowers on the grave a light breeze brushed against her cheek. It felt like a kiss.

Smiling she stood up. "I have to go now but I'll come back soon. I love you Tadashi."

As she turned and walked away the flowers rustled slightly. Almost as if someone had sniffed them…

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And with that we come to the end. After watching "Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack" I really wanted to write a "what happened next?" story for it in order to provide a happier outcome.

I realise that the main religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism. I mean no offence to any Shinto or Buddhist readers. I simply felt more comfortable making references to Christianity (i.e. Heaven) as I am more familiar with it personally. In my defence even a minority religion in a country has **some** followers so it's not totally impossible Kaori could be a Christian.

Thank you very much to everyone who reads this story. Special thanks go to **Traitor of All Traitors** for adding this story to their Favourites list and for very kindly reviewing each chapter. I really appreciate it and I hope you liked how it went.


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